Bother

Angels right-hander Dan Haren, who has been slowed all season because of lower-back stiffness, was placed on the 15-day disabled list Thursday for the first time in his career. Reliever Kevin Jepsen was called up from triple-A Salt Lake to replace Haren on the roster, but the Angels will need another starter -- most likely triple-A left-hander Brad Mills -- for Sunday's game against the Baltimore Orioles. Haren, 31, leads the major leagues with 254 starts since 2005, and he hasn't missed a start since college.

They booed him when he was introduced, booed him when he threw a foul ball into the stands, booed him when he came to bat. Alas, for Dodgers fans, they also booed Ryan Braun when he trotted around the bases in the first inning for what stood up as the game-winning, two-run home run. Braun, the man who edged Matt Kemp as last year's National League MVP and later beat a positive drug test, got the last laugh...

MINNEAPOLIS — There have been far more ground balls to the left side than line drives to the gaps, but Angels first baseman Albert Pujols , who is batting .217 after Thursday's 10-9 loss to the Minnesota Twins, is not overly concerned about his slow start. "Not to be cocky, but I know I can hit. I showed that in spring, I've shown that for 11 years, and it's not going to go away like that," Pujols said, snapping his fingers. "I'm trying to stay inside the ball and not think too much.

When: 7:30. Where: Staples Center. On the air: TV: Prime; Radio: 710, 1330. Records: Lakers 35-20, Rockets 29-25. Record vs. Rockets: 1-1. Update: Metta World Peace disclosed after the Lakers' 113-108 victory over the Clippers on Wednesday that he has been playing through an ankle injury he sustained March 29 against Oklahoma City. He was moving fine against the Clippers, knocking the ball away from Chris Paul for a key steal in the final minutes.

January 24, 2012 | By Mark Z. Barabak and John Hoeffel, Los Angeles Times

Even before Tuesday, Mitt Romney was struggling to connect to average voters, suffering from impromptu remarks - proffering a $10,000 wager in a debate, suggesting $375,000 in speaking fees was small change - that gave off a whiff of privilege. Then came Romney's release of tax returns showing that in 2010 he claimed $21.6 million in income, with an effective tax rate of less than 14%, far less than many middle-class families pay. He also estimated $20.9 million in income for 2011, with a rate of just over 15%. Jeanne Johnson, a political independent and owner of the Lake Alfred Barber Shop, said that when she heard the news of Romney's taxes on TV, "I thought I was going to throw up. " "It just ruined my day," said Johnson, 51, a single mother of two who has been cutting hair since she was 20. "Like, get a real job. " Others living in her politically crucial area of Florida, where Republican presidential candidates are rushing raucously toward a Jan. 31 primary, took offense not at the sums but at Romney's resistance to releasing his taxes until he was forced.

Pittsburgh quarterback Ben Roethlisberger will not start Saturday when the Steelers face the St. Louis Rams. Roethlisberger is dealing with a sprained left ankle and did not practice this week after a 20-3 loss to San Francisco on Monday. He will be replaced by veteran Charlie Batch , who is 4-2 as a spot starter since joining the Steelers in 2003. Roethlisberger said Wednesday he would prefer to play and believed his ankle was in pretty good shape after throwing for 330 yards and three interceptions against the 49ers.

Reporting from San Francisco -- Well, you can't win 'em all. The Dodgers received a shellacking Sunday, as Hiroki Kuroda was ineffective and the bullpen was downright awful in an 8-1 defeat to the San Francisco Giants at AT&T Park. The loss was the Dodgers' first in six days. Plagued with command problems, Kuroda gave up three runs and eight hits in a season-low 42/3 innings. Considering how he pitched, the damage could have been far worse. Kuroda said the neck problems that bothered him in previous seasons have resurfaced in recent weeks.

Nick Pratto, a 12-year-old, refused to eat an ice cream sundae at a restaurant near Williamsport that is famous for its ice cream concoctions. Nick refused to touch a scoop even though his father, Jeff Pratto, who also happens to be the manager of the Little League baseball team that features Nick as a pitcher and first baseman, all but begged him to eat the ice cream. It turned out Jeff couldn't resist having a couple of scoops, and it is not a secret that Jeff is not in perfect physical condition.

USC freshman Aundrey Walker is a large football player who comes from a large extended family. The 6-foot-6, 350-pound offensive lineman from Ohio has 17 siblings. Walker, 18, is the youngest of 14 brothers. He is the oldest of his mother's three children. "It's a big, big family," said Walker, who grew up in a Cleveland household with his two younger sisters. Walker's oldest brother is in his 30s, his youngest sister 11. "I stay in touch with about seven brothers, my two older sisters, my two younger sisters and my mother, of course," he said, noting that many family members get together every year.

Andre Ethier was sitting at his locker flipping through a magazine article about the royal wedding when the Dodgers' right fielder was handed a set of color-coded charts. The information was an anatomy of Ethier's 29-game hitting streak and, in a nutshell, it framed Ethier's streak as an impressive case study of consistency. In compiling 43 hits in 111 at-bats during the streak, Ethier has spread his hits around the diamond, producing regardless of whether teammates were on base and connecting on all types of pitches.